Want to know why your fave didn't make the cut? Click HERE for our 'Daunting Anime' post!
Please note that this post is for anime suggestions. For beginner cartoons, see HERE.
Please note that this post is for anime suggestions. For beginner cartoons, see HERE.
What Makes A Good Beginner Series?
- Important tropes. Ideally, a beginner anime should introduce the most common tropes for Magical Girl series. You can check out our trope guidelines HERE.
- Length. Most beginners don't want to wait 300 hours for an ending, so shorter series or episodes are better!
- Completion. Most beginners will be discouraged if it takes several years to finish the series, if it ever does end.
- Comprehension. A beginner shouldn't need to watch other shows or read the manga in order to understand.
- (Minimal) fan service. Since this list is meant for all viewers, and most fan service is in series for adults, we're leaving out anything explicit or aimed strictly at men.
- Similarities. If it is a gateway to other, similar series - but isn't a huge franchise - people will be more likely to continue with the genre overall.
We Recommend:
Magical Emi: The Magic Star
LANGUAGE: Japanese with sub only
LENGTH: 38 episodes THEMES: Magic, romance, dreams TROPES: Coming of age, childhood wonder SIMILAR SERIES: Creamy Mami - the OG idol x magical girl Persia the Magic Fairy - traditional magical girl Pastel Yumi - the second idol x magical girl Fancy Lala - traditional maical girl |
Magical Emi stars Emi, a young girl who is granted actual magic in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a famous stage magician! Only, there's more than a few bumps along the way, including having a secret identity to maintain...
It's an easy-to-binge, family friendly series from 1985, that truly embodies the original concept of magical girls. There's no violence, just pure fun and magic tricks! It's also by Studio Pierrot, which created quite a few other magical girl series back in the 80s and early 90s, so if you like this show there's plenty of similar ones to try! Most of Magic Emi is on youtube, but it's also easy to find on sites like gogoanimes or kissanime. We could not find any official subtitled sources online, likely due to its age. |
Houkago no Pleiades (TV) / Wish Upon The Pleiades
LANGUAGE: Japanese with sub only
LENGTH: 12 episodes THEMES: Sci-Fi, Romance, mystery TROPES: Collecting objects, colour-themed team, pink lead, saving the world, power of feminine friendship SIMILAR ANIME: Star Twinkle Precure - Idols in space. (GUIDES.) Cardcaptor Sakura - similar vibes and romance |
Space nerd Subaru is roped into helping an alien repair his space ship - and save the world. All while working with her ex-best friend from another universe! They, along with three others, must battle with a rival and work together to save everyone. Oh, and Subaru is falling in love...
If you love a romance without a triangle, or want to mesh nerddom with cute girls doing cute things (and maybe fighting off evil,) this show will definitely appeal. Although most of the standard tropes are covered, they're much more subtle than in other series. The short length makes it a very easy watch as well. |
Cardcaptor Sakura
LANGUAGE: Japanese with English Subs, OR English Dubs (various)
LENGTH: Original series totals 70 episodes. THEMES: Romance, Coming-of-age, TROPES: Girl power, collecting objects, saving the town SIMILAR ANIME:
Corrector Yui - same era, similar vibes and art Nanatu-Iro Drops - similar collector concept Magical Canan - same era, similar art and collector concept Wish Upon the Pleiades - similar vibes and romance |
Sakura accidentally lets ancient magic loose on the world - and now she must compete to collect them all, before the world descends into chaos!
The original series is comprised of two self-contained seasons, and the short and simple nature of the episodes makes it very easy to watch and understand. Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the few series with a singular magical girl, but has just as much friendship and girl power as series with several. It's a must-watch for any fan. A new series called 'Cleard Card' was produced in 2018 and is still ongoing - it is a sequel to the original arcs, NOT a reboot. If you intend or need to watch a dub, the ANIMAX UNCUT dub is the best, with near identical episodes to the original Japanese version. DO NOT WATCH THE CARDCAPTORS DUB - See the 'read more' for details. |
Wedding Peach
LANGUAGE: Japanese with Subs & English Dub
LENGTH: 51 Episodes THEMES: Angels, Romance, Ancient Gods TROPES: Forbidden love, love triangles, saving the world, pink lead, girl power, not fitting in, fitting (and subverting) gender roles SIMILAR SERIES: Sailor Moon - same era, similar art and concepts Tokyo Mew Mew - similar style and many of the same tropes |
From the same era as Sailor Moon - and sometimes considered to be a rip-off of it - Wedding Peach is far simpler, shorter, and far easier to follow than it's iconic predecessor.
If you're looking for the penultimate collection of magical girl tropes, look no further than this series! There's girl power and romance galore, and plenty of fun action besides. Because it's not a franchise, it's very easy to begin and there's no worrying about alternative versions like there is with Sailor Moon. |